Nishiguchi I

Radiotherapy for cervical cancer with high-dose rate brachytherapy — correlation between tumor size, dose and failure

This is a retrospective analysis of 659 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma with a minimum follow-up of 2 years at Keio University Hospital between May 1974 and March 1990. All patients were treated with external radiation (50 Gy) and high-dose rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy (20-34 Gy). The 5-year survival rates in each stage gradually decreased with the advance of the stage (I, 84%; II, 71%; III, 47%; and IVa, 12%). When 366 patients with stage III were classified into three groups according to tumor size, i.e. small (S, 102 patients), medium (M, 145) and large (L, 119), a survival gradient of small > medium > large was demonstrated and the differences between them were significant. At follow-up visits conducted between 1 and 2 months after completion of treatment, 135 patients (20%) had physical indications of residual disease. The larger the tumor size, the more likely was residual disease by 2 months. The patients with residual disease had a significantly higher rate of the pelvic failure than those without it. There was no significant correlation between radiation doses by RALS and pelvic failure rates, except in the stage III-L group. In the stage III-L group, intracavitary doses of 24 Gy or less to point A could be correlated with the higher pelvic failure rate and the lower survival rate, in contrast to doses of 27 Gy or more. The incidence of major rectosigmoid complications was 11.8% with doses of 24 Gy or less to point A, 8.1% with 27 Gy and 19.2% with doses of 30 Gy or more.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Prognostic factors influencing relapse of squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus

In 95 surgically staged patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus, multivariate regression analyses were employed to identify prognostic factors. Possible prognostic factors for local control were TNM stage and type of surgical procedures: T2 or T3 tumors and use of total maxillectomy showed better local control rates (P < 0.01). High radiation doses of 40 Gy or more also seemed to be of prognostic significance: P < 0.2 for 40 to 60 Gy, and P < 0.1 for 60 Gy or more. The risk of cervical relapse increased when the cheek or alveolus was grossly involved (P < 0.2). However, since cervical relapse frequently accompanied uncontrollable primary recurrence or distant spread, and since cervical relapse alone was frequently salvaged by radical neck dissection, prophylactic irradiation to the neck is not recommended. Sex, age, nodal state, addition of chemotherapy, total doses of bleomycin or 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU), or intra‐arterial administration of chemotherapeutic agents did not appear to be of prognostic significance.

Treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas in the Nasal Cavities and Paranasal Sinuses a Failure Analysis

Twenty-five patients with sinonasal lymphoma were treated mainly with irradiation. All were non-Hodgkin lymphomas of diffuse type. Twenty patients had stage IA, 2 had stage IB, 1 stage IIA, 1 stage IIIA, and 1 stage IVA disease. Relapse developed in 16 (64%) of the 25 patients, with a failure rate of 64 per cent in the stage I patients (14/22). Most patients with failures had distant spread of the disease with or without local recurrence. Only one patient had local recurrence alone at the first relapse. Histologic classification according to the new working formulation seemed to be a reliable prognostic indicator for relapse: failure rates for low, intermediate, and high grade lymphomas were 0 per cent (0/2), 46 per cent (6/13), and 100 per cent (10/10), respectively. Computed tomography was valuable for planning of radiation therapy and for follow-up.

High dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy for recurrent cervical cancer of the vaginal stump following hysterectomy

Forty-eight patients with recurrent cervical cancer of the vaginal stump following hysterectomy for cervical cancer, were treated with high dose rate intracavitary brachytherapy with or without external irradiation. The intervals between primary surgery and vaginal recurrences varied widely from 3 months to 36 years. Patients were classified into two groups, either with or without palpable tumor of the vaginal stump. Tumor size was determined by bimanual rectovaginal examination at the time of recurrence. Survival rates were 8% for the group with palpable tumors and 80% for those without, respectively. The survival rate of patients who did not have palpable masses and were treated with brachytherapy alone was not improved by combination with external irradiation. The time interval from the primary hysterectomy to the recurrence did not influence survival. These results suggest that the only significant prognostic factor for recurrent cervical cancer after hysterectomy is tumor size. The relationship between recurrent cervical cancer of the vaginal stump and second primary vaginal cancer is also discussed.

Bone scanning in patients with pleural effusion--experience in 76 cases.

Seventy-six patients with malignant or benign pleural effusion were studied to determine the incidence of accumulation of99mTc-MDP in relation to effusion, and reveal the mechanism. Of 76 patients, 46 (61%) were found to have diffuse uptake of99mTc-MDP in the hemithorax, with almost the same positive rate in malignant and benign effusions, i.e. 62% and 57%, respectively. Of 46 patients, 32 (70%) showed diffuse, slight accumulation in the hemithorax, and the positive rate had a tendency to be higher with the increase in the effusion volume.We are convinced that the major mechanism of unilateral intrathoracic accumulation of99mTc-MDP in pleural effusion is a passive transudation.